For the second year in a row, the Lebanese economy is suffering from a decline in the rate of growth. At no point in the last two years has GDP growth exceeded 1.5% [per annum].
This poses a grave challenge of far-reaching importance. Unless held in check by decisive measures and sound policy, it might shatter the fundamental components of Lebanon's economy and its social fabric. Perhaps the primary reason for this emerging recession is the effect of the Syrian revolution and the consequent incitement of conflicts which have spilled over into the Lebanese interior. It has exacerbated the paralysis of Lebanon's state institutions, deepened the barriers between its citizens, and set its urban neighborhoods ablaze.